1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hook for a hook-and-eye fastener for fastening together two pieces of a garment such as a trouser or a skirt.
2. Prior Art
Known hooks for hook-and-eye fasteners generally include a hook body having a plurality of prongs on a hook base that penetrate a garment fabric and have bent end portions retained on a retainer for attaching the hook to the garment fabric. The hook body further has a locking tongue lying substantially parallel to the base and an intermediate bent portion extending between the base and the locking tongue. This hook body is relatively weak and hence is likely to be crushed or permanently deformed at the bent portion when subjected to a force tending to compress the base and the locking tongue during, for instance, the ironing of the garment fabric. With the hook body thus crushed, a smooth insertion of the locking tongue into the companion loop or eye is difficult to achieve.
One attempt made heretofore to overcome the foregoing drawback is disclosed in British Patent No. 821459, wherein a hook body has a plurality of elongated reinforcing ribs projecting on the outer surface of the hook body and extending from a base through a bent portion to a locking tongue, there being defined in the inner surface of the hook body a corresponding number of grooves complementary in contour to the projections. The disclosed hook body having such outwardly projecting ribs is defective from an aesthetic view and rough to touch. Further, since the ribs and the grooves are formed by stamping, the hook body is likely to be damaged or broken at the bent portion due to cracks created during the formation of the ribs and grooves.